NOVPUB"A big question on our minds from this entire situation has been—why?" Loreleia explained. "Why did my daughter run away? How did she accomplish it, and who aided her? She had neither the resources nor the capability of doing it herself."
"It's certainly something I could never figure out," I replied. "Stantondale is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and a low-ranking town, whose entire economy is kept afloat on farming blue slimes."
Loreleia nodded, "Exactly my point. It made no sense, and to make matters worse, any evidence of her disappearance was thoroughly scrubbed. From what you've told us and from what we've postulated from the actions taken in Dhoggurum against you, it was clear that she was lured out as part of some trap or scheme."
"To invade via planting the gateway tree bag thing?" Vee asked.
"Even if they didn't plan to invade, losing an heir from a branch is a massive blow," Loreleia answered. "It could have been a rival branch or another family looking to elevate their position through our downfall."
"Ugh… politics," I groaned.
Llewel gave a pained smile, "Agreed. While I'm honored to be adopted into the Feirelle branch, which has advanced my growth and studies tremendously, it has also come with its downsides. Gone are the days I could spend endlessly in my lab without a care in the world."
"Bah, you still do that," Paeris snorted. "Just because you need to attend a social event occasionally is hardly a big deal."
Loreleia cleared her throat, demanding attention, "Anyway. There are multiple factors at play, and the elven politics aside, these are honestly the least of my concerns. No, what I'm worried about is how the Outeatus Kingdom has gotten involved in this matter. To say our people have a history would be an understatement, and long have their rulers wished to burn the last of our groves to the ground—if they could."
Loreleia reached into a pouch and pulled out a relatively small book. It looked faded and damaged, with what appeared to be blood stains. She looked at the notebook with some pain in her eyes and placed it on the table.
"My daughter's diary," she explained. "It has revealed a few things to me—most notably that she did have outside help in escaping as we presumed. Sadly, it doesn't reveal the collaborator, but it was definitely someone in the main grove who filled her head with lies and promises of the outside world."
"To think someone would exploit the young lady like that," Paeris said somberly.
"She mentioned wanting to make her mark on the world," I replied. "Does it have to do with that?"
Loreleia nodded, "Sylthaeryn always had a wanderlust for adventure. She wanted to explore outside the grove despite the dangers and, not unlike yourself, wanted to join the Adventurer's Guild."
"Huh…" I muttered.
"An odd coincidence," Loreleia confirmed. "Hence why I originally still held hope that you were her. Outside of myself and Paeris, almost nobody knew of her childish ambitions, as she kept up a strict facade for elven society. For a doppelganger or skinwalker to behave in such a manner seemed unbelievable."
"Sorry…" I murmured.
Loreleia shook her head, "I don't blame you, and in a way, you are indirectly granting her wish. But… Someone did find out, perhaps someone she was secretly close to or an opportunist. And they exploited her. Her journal mentions him a few times but has no name and speaks of him praising her dreams. Sadly, she didn't mention specifics, perhaps worried someone would read her journal and discover their plot. But it confirms that someone is undermining us, and that is where I want your help."
"I'm not exactly sure how I can help," I replied honestly.
"Yeah, we aren't exactly detectives," Vee agreed.
"Rather than detectives… I was hoping you could be bait," Loreleia responded bluntly.
"Oooh! That makes sense," Vee agreed.
"Bait?" I frowned.
"I want you to assume the role of my daughter, not unlike what you have been doing already—"
"I haven't been!" I swiftly denied it.
Paeris glared at me for interrupting his mistress, but she surprisingly didn't seem outraged.
"Intentional or not, you have been somewhat imitating her," Loreleia replied diplomatically. "And to be honest, your disguise is at such a level that if I hadn't touched your soul directly, I wouldn't have been able to distinguish the difference—and I say this as her mother."
"So you want to dangle Syl out and hope the assassin takes a bite?" Vee asked.
"Not that crude, but yes," Loreleia agreed. "I can understand I'd be putting you at personal risk, but I want those responsible brought to justice and am willing to pay a steep price to see this plot foiled."
"It's not as much of a risk as you think," Vee teased. "I've seen Syl here be stabbed, exploded, cut apart, and live to tell the tale."
I sent Vee a feeling of displeasure, who stopped yapping and sent back feelings of concern and guilt. While it was true, I wasn't too happy about this much of my information being revealed.
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"I see; that does make sense as a slime," Llewel mumbled in thought. "If nobody attacks your core directly, aren't you pretty much invincible?"
"Something like that," I hissed.
"All the more reason you should agree to this," Paeris said.
"Paeris, stop," Loreleia ordered. "I said they are both free to leave even if they don't agree to my request, and I don't want the one who inherited my daughter's emblem assassinated."
Interesting… I wonder if that has any more meaning to it?
"I'm not agreeing or rejecting anything until I've heard more. Do you have a reasonable plan?" I questioned.
Loreleia nodded, "I want to formally announce that you've returned from a journey of discovery and training. You undertook many trials and tribulations during your travels and emerged victorious, with a rare companion and class as the prizes."
"That would be spitting in the face of whoever schemed this," Vee pointed out.
"Yes, and to rub salt in the wound, I want to announce that I'm seeking ascension and formally announcing you as the heir of the Feirelle branch," Loreleia explained.
Llewel whistled through his teeth, sounding rather impressed with that declaration. Paeris, however, looked very disgruntled and on the verge of another outburst.
"I know we joked about you being an elven princess, but now it seems like it's potentially becoming real," Vee said in jest.
"To put it in human terms, it would be like me announcing candidacy for the throne and leaving Sylthaeryn in charge of my noble house," Loreleia explained.
"Sounds like a big deal," I commented.
"A big deal!?" Paeris yelled in outrage.
"A massive understatement," Llewel agreed. "Mistress Loreleia would be putting a massive target on the entire Feirelle branch. Whoever sought to undermine us would be forced to act."
"And whoever was the accomplice would have an axe hanging over their head—will Syl, err, Sylthaeryn, reveal what was done to her," Vee commented.
"Ugh… politics," I groaned again.
"Now you know how I feel when you go on your custom magic rants," Vee teased.
"Custom magic, too?" Llewel replied, looking chuffed. "You're definitely following our ancestral founder's teachings closely, an ideal candidate appearing to be rewarded and elevated through a branch."
"Can't this also be done with you instead of me? Surely a Chronomancer is a bigger deal than an Elementalist," I replied.
"Llewel would be the fallback plan if you wish to wash your hands of this matter," Loreleia explained. "Unfortunately, he wouldn't have the same impact as Sylthaeryn's return since he is an adopted branch member. I'd also take a hit to my reputation for nominating an adopted member as the new inheritor."
I wanted to groan at all the political talk. It felt like such nonsense, and I questioned why my past self even bothered wishing to be born a noble.
Assuming I get the whole Reincarnation Points thing again, I'm definitely not picking Noble. [Prodigy] and [Time Magic] for the next life sounds like a good plan! Or maybe I can ask to be born a spirit and just fool around like Trixie?
"Which is why I'm very much hoping you'll agree," Llewel said. "I can even throw in my own reward to sweeten the deal!"
Huh… Right, she did mention rewards. I'm not sure what I'd ask from Llewel. I could maybe ask him to cast a bunch of time spells on me and hope it gives me an evolution option. He's also an alchemist, so I could ask for training there, maybe?
"Well, regardless, I'd ask that you at least take another day to think about it before making a decision," Loreleia said.
"Thanks, I was planning to discuss it with Vee," I replied. "Could you perhaps tell me a bit more about the plan? What would I need to do?"
"Not a problem. Honestly, you might even consider this part of the reward, as being nominated as a branch head means you must undergo specialized training to be respected. You'd receive top-notch tutors in several fields and resources to boost your growth," Loreleia answered.
Training huh…
"It's kind of like a super private school, in human noble terms," Llewel added. "Sylthaeryn was already attending it when she was contacted by whoever this conspirator was."
"I see…" I replied.
"Honestly, it sounds like fun to me," Vee commented. "Sounds like you'd be living a life of luxury and being rewarded for it."
I nodded. It sounded appealing, although I wasn't too happy that I'd need to impersonate Sylthaeryn. That was still a sore spot for me after the whole goblin fiasco.
"And what sort of rewards are we talking about?" I asked curiously.
"I could offer you almost anything, especially if I succeed in my ascension," Loreleia said. 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Llewel and Paeris both suddenly looked startled, perhaps not expecting such conviction from her.
"You're actually considering ascending?" Paeris asked.
"It would allow me to properly voice my grievances against the Outeatus royals and start maneuvering to take out the threat," she answered.
Llewel chuckled, "I'm glad I joined the Feirelle branch. To think we would be getting another High Elf. What a joyous time."
High Elf?
"Is there anything in particular you want?" Loreleia asked.
"Slime cores," Vee answered.
"Slime cores?" the three elves asked curiously.
"Syl eats them," Vee answered again.
I sent some disproving emotions to the gossiping spider but got what I could only describe as a mental shrug in return. Vee was right, after all. The only thing I could think of asking for was slime cores, as it was my number one request.
"She eats them…" Llewel mumbled.
"Outrageous," Paeris snorted.
"It can be arranged if that's what you truly wish for," Loreleia responded. "In addition or alternatively, I could offer wealth. Or if monetary value isn't appealing, there is knowledge of skills, classes, magic, and so forth at our disposal."
Oh! Now, that does sound tempting. So, the elves also hoard knowledge? I wonder what kind of rare skills I could get. My first thought would be something magic-related, although my own class will probably reveal that eventually.
Alternatively, if I could get some skills from the Tamer classes without needing to progress more in them myself, that would be a boon for Vee and me—especially since my class experience has been reduced now, thanks to Gramps.
However, at the end of the day, I want slime cores the most. I know the elves have access to brown slimes for their farms, and I'm not sure how coveted they are compared to the dwarves and silver slimes. But asking for a brown slime core for this big of a deal feels… cheap? I really should be using this to my advantage; I have elven royalty asking for my help. Wait, that's it!
"What if I asked for a pink slime or pink slime core?" I asked.
Perhaps I was trying my luck, but you automatically missed any shots that were not taken. If anything, this seemed like the perfect opportunity—when else would I find myself in such a situation.
Loreleia seemed to mull over the request, tapping her finger against the diary's cover on the table.
"It's achievable," she eventually replied. "And if you agree to help us, I can do everything in my authority to acquire one."
Syl shoots… And scores?
